Today
in PART III of my posts on the Mindroom centers I am returning back to a second area connected with my first post here, that of the observation platforms above the Wellness Spa Rooms.

This area is where the various Doctors and staff would check the progress of each patient from an elevated platform outside the private spa rooms. These areas contained the latest technology for a clean design as well as state of the are computing technology to assist in the healing and strengthening processes. THese were elevated to keep other clients from having easy access to the observation areas when entering the various rooms, and keeping a clean architectural space to experience.

You will see MS-Surface PC's in each observation area, along with a full heads up display that would allow the doctors to constantly observe the patient and the information simultaneously. Also for privacy concerns, the glass portals were all multilayer using LED frosting to allow each person to have full privacey at their own control from inside the spa an a layer behind the heads up so the technical information would be accessible.

In the coming weeks I
will posting additional areas and the various parts in great detail so visit again!

You can view PART I The main Wellness Spa here.
You can view PART II the Wellness Sports Center here.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Frame 000 in the 120 frame sequence I rendered out for the Air-Heads candy that tied into the film Alvin and the Chipmunk:The Squeakquel. I used 3D motion blur so that the spinning and tumbling candy would have the blur track correctly off the model itself, and not be a 2D fake done in post.

Ten frames in the spinning bag of goodies is moving at camera.

By frame 20, less than a second of time into the spot, the virtual 3D model of the bagged candy is doubled in size, a fast slam with a twist.

By frame 30 the bag is in full view in the frame but still spinning and thus blurred.

The move slows down to a gently rocking back and fourth motion in camera view above.

The light was animated as well, so that the speculars would shine off the graphics with the map adjusted to get light glints of motion in this soft slow move.

The final frame was justified up to keep the lower third open for type graphics as well as to line up with the foreground plate provided by Rhythm and Hues who did the characters for the films.

I was given this screen grab frame to align my shot to for the animation I did for the Alvin and the Chipmunks :The Squeakquel tie in spot.

The subdivided mesh as used in the spot was only needing one level of subdivision since this was finished at SD and was never brought any closer to camera, though the model allowed for more resolution as it was a quad model.

The base model I made for the package with subdivision remove to show the base build.

Back in 2009 I did some 3D animation tests for Roland Mesa over at Toy Box Entertainment out of Burbank California for some Movie tie-in work for the sequel to the Alvin and the Chipmunks film called Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Squeakquel.

Back in 2003, I was hired by Roland to head up the 3D Design Department when he was then still President at The Cimarron Group back then, so he understood what 3D was best capable of, so he contacted me to help visualize some 3D assets for the TV spots to tie in the candy with the film as he had moved over and created his own company Toy Box Entertainment.

I was given the actual candy and wrappers as well as the the printers filed from packaging to create a virtual candy bag to animate for the spots. I first built it out as a polygon subdivision model so it could be subdivided for close up shots, as you never know what a client will ask for, and to create the asset to accommodate this level of detail up front means that in foresight, you build it out only once.

I then created the various maps needed for the file and proceeded to do some test renders with and without 3D motion blur. The asset needed to be transferred over to other 3D platforms, so I also prepared and exported it out as a FBX and OBJ so the internal 3D team had use as well.

A fun fast little gig that was under a day of work total for building and testing out the animations to delivering the exported geometry.

I was contacted out of the UK to do a quick 3D Logo for a One-sheet movie Poster styled logo for a Theater Production, as well as for online use for a company out of the UK that contacted me after seeing my work on this blog.

A small and fast little gig but fun to do. I regularly get little gigs like this where a client will see a look[ or looks] I have developed and after combing a few looks together and modifying them to create something new and unique, I build a custom 3D logo for them, that I provide a 3D, or dimensional end product.

I have done 1000's of 3D logos so no need to re-invent the wheel every time, though I do get to fine tune the looks, and my skills for each pass as art is a constant process of attempting to improve and get better results. This way it costs less for the clients as I have already had experience in getting a scene dialed in, and as with all computer work the second time is 10X faster minimum.

I proceeded with a test image to check the vector file for cleanliness as provided to me by the client, and I then proceeded with a golden look with back-lit faces. I then modified it to a more shiny gold feeling in the second pass, and delivered a final image, large enough for billboards and poster[4500 pixels wide], as well as used online as seen here in the link.

Today
in PART II of my posts on the Mindroom centers I am covering the second main use for the technology in the Sports centers.

This where the Medical technology was filed tested in Europe with various Soccer[ football] teams throughout the continent with excellent results in improved flexibility, stamina,and mental awareness all associated with the use of the Mindroom tech.

I was simply repackaging the technology for the masses, and in this case for various teams in the multiple application that this would assist the players in. The tech is the same as seen in my first PART I post for the high end Spa, with the VR dome and multi-postion table chair, as well as the helmet with EEG sensors and full VR surround capabilities so the trainer would be 'in there' with you.

Once again, a rounder shape was picked for the layout space planning, to allow for a central command area to monitor entire teams all doing the treatments simultaneously. Above you will see the early version in cooler colors before the parts were all worked out, as well as the warmer version which was actually colored out to match a specific sports team that this was being pitched to to 'brand' it for them specifically[ sans any logos].

In the coming weeks I
will posting additional areas and the various parts in great detail so visit again!

Today I am posting a fun project from a decade ago now, an early 3D Set Extension Matte I created for some Key Art for the second film Dumb and Dumberer back in 2003 while I was in-house at BLT Communications.

A standard type of 3D Illustration gig is to create a set-extension asset at a different angle or proportion to enhance the posters for the advertising intent in various concepts. For this one, they wanted the High School in the film to feel bigger, so I was given a key shot from the photography from the set, as well as a sketch for the adjustments wanted, which in this case was a wide shot good for both the standard format posters, or One-sheets, as well as 30-sheet billboards that were landscape wide.

I built out he buildings and adjusted the camera to fit the principal photography, and rendered out the RAW 3D frame. I composited it in Photoshop, as this was a still frame delivery, and did color adjusting and distortions to match the lens and delivered to the team for comps as a layered file to drop into their work.

A fast one day gig, as most theatrical advertising 3D Illustration work has an extremely short turn around from concept to full render in less than a day.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The first pass at the 2D Logo Design Explorations Side-by-Side Black on White and vice versa.

The adjusted finals with the new name adjusted into the design.

A straight on shot of the final concept rendered out in 3D for the laser cut sign for the Lobby.

This close up renders shows the basic construction proposed for the Aluminum Lucite and Neon sign concept.

A fish-eye down shot render of the 3D Virtual representation of this Architectural sign.

A 3D shot I did in black and white as the design was bit retro and I wanted to see it this way.

Project Review

Ventura Music Factory

Logo Design Development-2011.

Client: Alex Urban @ VMF.Art Direction: Myself.Project Date May 2011.

Back in 2011 I did some quick Logo Development for Alex Urban for the Ventura Music Factory, a Music Studio based out in Southern California. I had worked with Alex at the Cimarron Group years earlier so he contacted me to assist.

As with all 2D design projects, I first do the simple 2D designs in 3D vectors and put them as both a black on white, and white on black side by side to compare them, and to see what reads the best and fits the design needs of the client.

Once a direction is chosen, I develop that a bit more,and in this case the name "Ventura' was added into the DBA so I adjusted the design to fit that in.

I also did a 3D representation of the design as it would be seen on the studio wall in the lobby, with a nice brushed aluminum sign face that would be laser cut,with a Lucite plex boxed in extrusion on back spaced away from the way to spread the light a bit more, with the internally lit thin neon tubes. All this was fastened with button head black anodized shafts into the mahogany wall surface. A few 2D renders at various views representing this were produced.

Back in 2009, I was able to work on a very exciting project that was a combination of Architectural Design, Product Design, and Graphics for a State of the Art Medical Development for a technology called, The Mindroom for Dr. Michael Mark out of his Beverly Hills California clinic.

The technology was an existing procedure that was to get a serious facelift, as it was beginning to grow in both interest and use. This tech in a nutshell helped train the brain of athletes as well as other disciplines to control emotional responses in order to increase abilities, both physically and mentally and to facilitate growth and healing in both. It was used over in Europe by World Cup players with fantastic results, so my job was to help visually brand the product for a larger worldwide audience.

Today in PART I of many posts, I cover the basic Higher end spa design I created for the presentations. The Main table was an industrial Medical table that reconfigured into a chair or bed so the patient could be placed comfortably in a position to view the 180 degree panoramic VR[ Virtual Reality screen that would be lowered around the head to fully engulf them in the experience.

In the coming weeks I will be showcasing all the various parts I designed including the Neurological Helmet with jelly sensors seen on the stand, the table itself, the rooms, and the various areas and use scenarios for the technology beyond sports.

Welcome Back! This is my first post for 2014, and my fifith year as a full-time freelancer.

During this past winter break I did a little personal project and designed out a 3D Robotic character of a small underwater Crab.

I worked on a very large robot project a few years ago, and I was inspired to do my own take on an underwater 3D Character. As a 3D Designer I did a micro sketch that took about a minute to get the basic feel of what was in my head, and blocked out the basic proportions,and then I go directly into 3D to design.

I built this little character out in the Tee-Pose so it is ready to animate in 3D, with some basic linking for posing, but what you see above is it posed.

A few design features I put into the little guy is that first and foremost, he is sphere based, not a surprise as I am infatuated with this basic shape as seen in my Bubble Car concept.

I love submarines as well, so underwater creatures are fun and so I added the propeller out back insipired by a early design I did at Cyan Worlds back in 2000 here.

I made the question-mark leg with a fully rotating little dualie wheel set to scoot along the ocean kelp beds.

Though I sketched two eye-pods, I went with a Cyclops instead that retracts back into the head via the iris up top as with a reuse of the the teeth on the circular mouth out front on the design.

Also, one arm was made much bigger as found in nature on various crabs, to change it up a bit I modified it in 3D.

About a 4 Hr build, with 2 Hrs to set up and render it out in the scene. A fun little personal 3D Design project for me to pass some time this Holiday season.

BabelFish Universal Translator Widget

About Me

Trained in Transportation Design at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design, I have worked for the past 24 years in every facet of Entertainment Design as Conceptual Designer, up to Design Director. I am currently running my design studio full time out of my home in Littleton, CO.
In the past, I have orchestrated teams as large as 100 on an international level , and as small as a few artists. Art Center gave me the formal training in Industrial Design via sketching and modeling to execute my designs.
The variety within the Entertainment Industry that I have been involved with includes: Television Commercial Set Design, 2D Animation Television Series, Restaurant Design and Illustration, Real Time 3D Interactive Gaming, Online 3D Web interface, CD ROM Magazine Design, Theme Park Attraction Design, and finally ending up in Entertainment based Advertising for Theatrical Films.
I have experience starting up both 2D, and 3D design departments, as well as moving into existing studio infrastructures of operation and working within established systems already in place.